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Geography

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country situated in southern Africa. It is bordered by Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. The Zambezi River flows along its northern border with Zambia, and the Limpopo River along the southern border with South Africa. Both flow east, through Mozambique, into the Indian Ocean.

Zimbabwe covers an area of some 390,580 square kilometres, consisting of a central highveld area, a raised granite shield known as the Zimbabwe Plateau, with an average elevation of just over 1,000 metre. In the north the plateau drops dramatically towards the Zambezi Valley, forming the Zambezi Escarpment. In the southwest a broad area of the country slopes down towards the Limpopo. From the western border with Botswanam windblown sands from the Kalahari Desert extent into the country. To the east a range of rugged mountains, the Eastern Highlands, forms a natural border with Mozambique.